Author's note: I am only identifying each mold and which historical/Girl of the Year each mold was used for. If you have a Look Like Me/My AG doll, feel free to post a description or email me (americangirlemployee@gmail.com)
a picture/description and I will tell you which mold was used!
American Girl dolls don't just have different hair colors and styles/eye color, their faces are actually molded in different ways. In total there are eight face molds. I have written a little description below the pictures of each version. The historical dolls are posted with each explanation and the GOTYs are at the end of the post.
The Classic face mold was used on the historical dolls Felicity, Caroline, Kirsten, Samantha, Kit, Ruthie, Molly and Emily. This mold is the most often used on the Girl of the Year dolls (Lindsey, Kailey, Nicki, Mia, Gwen, Lanie, Saige and Isabelle). The doll is considered to have "Caucasian characteristics" so it has never been used on a doll with dark skin, although it was used on Sonali who is of Indian descent. Some of the characteristics are the nose is upturned and thin, chubby cheeks and thin lips.
The Addy face mold has only been used for Addy, no GOTYs. Her nose is wider and she has fuller cheeks to fit with "African characteristics". This mold has never been used on dolls with light skin.
The Asian mold was only used for the doll Just Like You 4. She was supposed to look "East Asian" with thin, titled eyes and a slightly wider nose than the Classic but not as wide as the Addy or Sonali molds. This is the only mold to be "retired" from the American Girl face molds.
The Josefina mold's nose was different, again thinner than the Addy mold but wider than the Classic. Her lips are also fuller and her eyes are more oval than the other face molds. Josefina mold's chin is different than the other molds too; it is longer and sharper. Her head is actually a different shape too, so some glasses do not fit on her head correctly. The historical dolls with Josefina mold are Josefina, Nellie, Elizabeth, Julie and Rebecca. The GOTYs are Marisol, Chrissa and McKenna.
Kaya's face mold is the only one not to show her teeth. According to the Nez Perce (Nimipuu) Indians believe that showing teeth shows agression, so Kaya does not show her teeth. She is the only American Girl doll with this feature; there are not any other historical, GOTY, or Look Like Me/MyAG dolls without teeth. Kaya's nose is the second widest (after Addy) and in general, is very similar to the Josefina mold. Kaya had a little dimple in her chin.
The Jess mold was used for Ivy (but her eyes were specially altered for her version) and the GOTYs Jess and Kanani. The Jess mold has almond shaped eyes, the mouth is opened slightly wider and the face is a little shorter and rounder than the other molds. The chin is more pointed as well.
The Sonali mold was used first for Sonail, then the historical girl Cecile. The mold is shaped very similiarly to the Josefina mold and the nose is wider than the Classic, but smaller than the Addy. The ears on the doll are different than the other molds. The ears are flatter and less defined. Originally, this mold was going to be used for GOTY Mia.
The most recent mold created is Marie-Grace's. Like Kaya, she is the only one out of all the dolls with this face. She has a more shallow and rounded jaw line. Again, it is very similar to the Josefina mold.
GOTY pictures
Classic -
Josefina -
Jess -
Sonali -
I bought a Samantha doll and I am trying to determine if it is an actual Samantha doll or a Doll of Today? How can I determine if it is a REAL Samantha doll?? thanks so much for your help
ReplyDeleteAG tries to make the Historical dolls and Girls of Today (now called MyAG) look different so that they are unique. It is extremely unlikely that your doll is a MyAG who just happens to look like Samantha :) Where did you buy the doll? Did it come in an AG box? Samantha's hair also has a slight curl on the end whereas the closest MyAG doll to Samantha has pretty straight hair. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions :)
Deletethey eye pattern is different between doll of today and Samantha..
DeleteThe key way to tell if a doll is supposed to be Samantha is look at the brown eyes vs. someone like Julie's eyes. Samantha's brown eyes have markings and theyre called brown decal eyes. Julie has the regular brown american girl eyes. That is the key wait to determine a Samantha doll.
DeleteI found a doll that has long/layered blonde hair (no bangs), hazel eyes, and light skin. I can't find it listed anywhere. What number is she? Is her face the classic mold? She looks a lot like the GOTY, Isabelle from 2014, but her tag says 2013.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately AG no longer sells a doll like the one you've described. They usually prevent any Truly Me/look-alike dolls from looking like the GOTY so the doll is most likely from before Isabelle came out. If she was taken away before Isabelle, her number probably isn't currently being used. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help.
Deleteprobably isabelle because gotys usually take a while to design
DeleteI really wish they'd use the Marie-Grace face mold again. I love the mold, but it was before my daughter was old enough for the dolls.
ReplyDeleteI really wish they'd use the Marie-Grace face mold again. I love the mold, but it was before my daughter was old enough for the dolls.
ReplyDeleteI work at an American Girl store too, and I asked one of my coworkers how on earth my Julie could be Pleasant Company, and she said it's because Julie was the first light skinned doll made with Josefina's face mold, so the molds for Julie were some PC's of Josefina's...But now I see that Elizabeth has Josefina's face mold too, and she came before Julie...and my Elizabeth is not PC. So really, how could my Julie be Pleasant Company??
ReplyDeleteHi my Samantha doll has a tan body but her tag say made in Germany. But I was told the Germany dolls had a white body. I got her in 1990 I think. So was they still making the first tan body's in Germany?
ReplyDeleteAmerican Girl Doll Red Auburn #8 Hair Blue Eyes Truly Me 2012
ReplyDeleteAmerican Girl Doll Red Auburn #8 Hair Blue Eyes Truly Me 2012 Does she have a name?
This is very interesting. My husband said that some of the doll's faces look alike. Is there a book with more information like this? Thank you
ReplyDeleteI love Rebecca and Kit and Maryellen.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite face mold has to be the classic or Josephina mold.
ReplyDelete